Ball-bouncing apparatus



Marchr 5, 1929. D. w. NEARING BALL `.BOUNC ING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19,1923v (H1523 cfm/1244 Patented Mar. 5, i929.

Uaiish y srArs-s PATENT ,0I-FICH- DUDLEY W'. HEARING, OF BRISTOL,CONECTICUT, ASSGNOR TO THE NEW DEPAR- TUBE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OFCONNECTICUT.

F BRISTQL, CONNECTICU-TyA CORPGRATION' issLnBoUncnie- PreserveApplication meer November i9, ieee. serial No. $175,583.

obj ect is to provide a testing apparatus whichl will eliminate thehuman element and automatically separate, from a batch, those balls thatdo not conform to the required characteristics, -Still another object isto provide an apparatus which will attract attention and advertise theuniform quality of steel yballs CII for ball bearings and the like. `Yetanother object is to provide an improved method ol' testing balls. Y Y yTo these ends and also to improve generally onV devices of this nature,the invention also resides in the various matters hereinafter describedyand claimed.

Referring to the drawings: y

Figure l is a perspective View of apparatus partly cutaway to showinterior mechanism,

Figure 2 is` a vertical section through a portion of the mechanism.

Figure 3 is a section on the line SW3 of Figure 2. y

Figure el is a detail view of a part of the ball feeding mechanism.

Figure 5 is a detail view of a portion of the apparatus, and Figure G.is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

The numeral 10 indicates the substantially circular wall of a hopperfastened to a base plate 12 by' screws lll. In a circular' recess 16 inthe base plate is a ballthrust bearing 18 supporting a feed disk 2Owhich is detachablv keyed to a vertical shaft 22 `iouriraleil in abearing 2l on the wall of the hopper. Y The shaft has fixed to it, atthe upper end, a worm wheel held to the shaft and inclosod by a yhousing 28. A worm meshes with the worm wheel and is fixed to ahorizontal shaft journaled in a bracket 32 fixed to the hopper, one endof the shaft having a pulley 34 connected by a belt 36 to an electricmotor 38 supported on the bot-tom of a case or box 40 which incloses allof the mechanism.,

Thedisk v2O aseries of notches 42aty its periphery, rthe inner portionsof the recesses conforming to the surfaces of balls and one side of eachrecess being straight and the other side rounded as at la and mergingwith the periphery of the disk. A vertical circular wall -G of a recessin the base plate l2 closely surrounds the periphery of the disk andformsa pathway for the balls leading to a tangential passage closed onone side by the straight wall 48 shown yin Figure 4. The disk y2O khas aperipheral groove 50 :deeper than the notches, anda removable blade orseparator 52 extends into this groove, its end portion 5ft beingroundedso as to present no sharp corner to the balls. The blade has astraight, edge 56 parallelr to the wall 48 and forming the other side ofthe exit passage from the hopper. The blade is set into a slot ofthebase plate where it is covered by an enlargement 58 on the hopperWall.

`When-a batch of steel balls are dumped into the hopperflO, some of theballs find their wayl into the notches 42 and are carried laround by therotating disk. The straight edge 56 of the blade then causesthe balls toride out of their notchesv into the tangential passage, theroundedportion i4 of leach notch rolling on the ball and the peripheryof ythe disk thereafter preventing1 vmunicates with an expansible andflexible tube 6() made of yhelically coiled wire, one end of the tubebeing fastened toV the base plate l2 by a cap plate 62 andthe other endof the tube leading upwardly and communieating with the lower end of asubstantially upright tube, conveniently in the' forni of a hollowstandard 64 fastened. to a shelf 66 on the case or box 40. The-upper endof the standard is bentat an angle .and enters au opening in anenlargement 68 on a bracket 7 0 fastened to a convenient part of thecase to brace the standard. The bracket has an inclined portion 72carrying a plate 74 having a ball opening' T6 in ralignment With thehollow standard.' The plate 74also has a chute or trough of a widthslightly less llO than the, dia-meteiot the ball opening` 76, one ot thevertical sides of the trough being` indicated at 80. The plate also hasinclined tacesll'S meeting.. the vertical sides 80 of thet troi'ighandthe corners thus produced torni a runway down Which the balls roll oneby one when lifted high enough by the 'feeding mechanism. The balls areall raised to the same height. s`o` that no impetus is given to` themother than that imparted by rolling down the chute. It a ball should jamin the standard for any reason, the tube Gel. Will expand and preventvany breakage.

As the balls rolld'oWn the inclined de.- livery chute they follow thedotted line 82 in Figure l and strike against a hardened iiat bounceplate 84 which is inclined doWn- Wardly slightly', away from thestandard. rThe balls then bound upwardly along,` the dotted line 8G (itthey possess the desired characteristics) and pass through an open ing.in a ring or hoop SS detachably fastened to a second standard 90.` Thering` 88 is here shown as an assembled ball bearing;` but any suitablering` may be employed. rlhe balls then continue on and drop upon asecond bounce pla-te 92v which is inclined in two directions, towardsthe standard and towards the rear of the apparatus. It the balls are otthe correct quality, so thatthey strike the proper point on the plate92, they then bound along the path represented by the dotted line 94 andpass through an opening;

96 in an opaque panel 98 inclined slightly to the vertical. Thereafterthe balls enter a tunnel or chute 100 of telt or other sound-deadening.material and this funnel may conduct them either out ot the apparatusentirely or into a chute 102, Which carries them back again into thehopper. rFhis would be the normal course or". the balls when the apparatus is used tor advertising. purposes,` and, in thatcase, the ballswould be previously selected for their unitorm characteristics s0 thatthey would all run continuously through the machine.` vThis would alsobe the course ot the balls it it ufere desired to repeat the test anumber ot times to make sure that all. ot the balls are ot acceptablequality. For instance, although a ball might possess the desiredcharacteristics as to elasticity, it might not be exactly spherical andnevertheless,- it might strike on af portion et' its surtace which issutliciently like a sphere to cause the ball to traverse the indicatedpath. By running' the balls through the machine a number of times,however, they will strike ony dil'erent portions of their surfaces andhence will ultimately be eliminated it" not upto standard. The testhowever is a very delicate and sensi-tive one so that, tor mostpurposes, one trayerse through the machine issuliicient whichcase thetunnel 100 is arranged to,lead the balls entirely out of the case andinto a bin or the like. Balls that are not up to standard strike eitherthe f ring` 8.8 or the panel 9S' and collectA on the shelf 66.

To render' the apparatus morek interesting, i'lring, and mysteriousioradvertising purposes, all ot the Working,` parts are hidden behindopaquepanels except the bouncingl mechanism, this being visible through theglass panels 1204, 106, and 108.

Although the invention has beendescribed by reference to specilicapparatus, it should be understood that, in its broader aspects, theinvention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodimentselected tor illustration.

I claim: l

l. ln apparati'is ot the character described, in eon'ibination, meansfor successively dropping` balls Ytrom the same point, means 'lorbouncing the balls in a` d'clinite path, mechanism -tor insuring thelapse of an interval between the release ot one ball and thenexttolloufing', and mechanism tor' returning the balls to the droppingmeans tor subsequent bouncing substantially as described.

2. ln apparatus ot the character described, means for successivelydropping` balls, aplate in the path of the balls tobeuiu-e them in onedirection, a second plate to' bounce the balls in another direction, anda' member ar *tinged to bar the passage ot' such balls ras do not bounce'litromthe second plate in. the same path; substantially' as described.

ln a pparati'is otv the character described, means tor successivelydropping` balls, a plate in the path et the balls to bounce them in onedirection, a secondlplate' to bounce the balls as received trom thelirfst plate, and means for returning the balls' that bounce inA similarpaths from the second plate to the dropping, means tor subsequentbouncing substantially as described. v p' t. lu apparatus et thecharacter described, means for successively dropping` b'alls, a plate inthe path of the balls to bounce thenr in one direction, a second platetor bouncing the balls as received trom the first plate, and a ring orhoophavinu an opening in a. deiinite location between said first andvsecond plates to permit the passage ot balls olf like character tronithe hrstplate to the second", substantially as descriliiedL y 5; lnapparatus ot the character descril'ied, a substantially uprighttlube,concealed means tor 'elevating a stream ot balls through the tube, adelivery chute extending' troni the tube, a plate to bounce the ballsdropped from the chute, and an opaque member having; an opening in thepath Ot the bouncing; balls to Vadmit balls of uniformr chinacterstics,said member concealing` the subsequent course ofy said ,balls andseparating'v the* remainingv balls therefrom substantially asdescribed.v y 1 6. ln apparatus ot the character described,

Cil

a substantially upright tube, meansy for elevating a stream of ballsthrough the tube, a delivery chute projecting -from the tube, a plate tobounce the balls dropped from the chute, a second plate for bouncing theballs as received from the first plate, a member having` an opening inthe path of the balls, and concealed means ior returning the balls tothe elevating means; substantially as de scribed.

7. ln apparatus of the character describet i a substantially uprighttube, means 'for feeding' a stream of balls through the tube, a deliverychute extending trom the tube, a plate below the chute to bounce theballs, a ineinh ber having an opening in the path of the bouncing balls,a second plate for bouncingI the balls, a wall having an opening throughwhich the balls pass 'from the second plate, and means ilor returningthe balls to the feeding means; substantially as described.`

8. ln apparatus ot the character described, a. hollow standard, Vaninclined plate extending from the standard and having an openingcommunicating with the standard, a channel in said plate of less widththan the diameter ot the opening, and means orelem vating balls in thestandard to the channel; substantially as described.

9. ln apparatus of the character described, in combination, means torsuccessively dropping balls for ball bearings, a plate in the path ofthe balls to bounce them in a definite path, and an assembled ballbearing arranged across the path of' the balls for the balls to jumpthrough y in the bouncing operation; substantiallyas described.

l0. ln apparatus of the character described, an inclined chute 'forimparting uniform velocity to balls for bouncing, a substantiallyupright tube for conducting balls to the chute, and means forintermittently moving the balls a uniform 'distance in the tube to raisethe balls one by one even with the chute; substantially as described.

l1. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, means 'fordropping balls one-by-one from. a definite'point With an intervalbetween, a plate for bouncing the balls in a definite path, a ringhaving itsopeiiing arranged in said path for the balls to enter, andmechanism tor returning the balls to the dropping means for subsequentbouncing; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiX my signature.

DUDLEY W. NEARING.

